May 2017 – Page 4 – Spaceflight Now

AR1 engine clears milestone in step toward ending U.S. reliance on Russian propulsion

May 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

A rocket engine that could power United Launch Alliance’s next-generation rocket has passed a major design review, clearing the way for full-scale hotfire testing starting next year and certification for test flights in 2019, according to Aerojet Rocketdyne, the powerplant’s developer.

Soyuz rocket orbits satellite for airborne navigation and connectivity

May 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A commercial SES communications satellite on the way to an operating post over the Americas rode into orbit from French Guiana aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket Thursday, embarking on a mission to help airline travelers stay connected and improve air navigation over the United States.

Video: Soyuz blasts off from South America

May 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A 151-foot-tall Soyuz launcher climbed into space from French Guiana on Thursday with the Boeing-built SES 15 communications satellite bound for an operating position over the Americas in geostationary orbit.

Live coverage: Russian rocket launches Boeing-made satellite

May 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana on Thursday at 1154:53 GMT (7:54:53 a.m. EDT) with the SES 15 communications satellite, a U.S.-built craft designed to support in-flight connectivity, video broadcasts and airborne navigation over North America.

Photos: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket begins flight with Inmarsat satellite

May 18, 2017 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off for its sixth flight of the year Monday from launch pad 39A in Florida, lofting an Inmarsat mobile broadband communications satellite to an orbit more than 40,000 miles above Earth.

Timeline of Soyuz launch with SES 15

May 17, 2017 Stephen Clark

Follow the key events of the Soyuz rocket’s ascent into orbit from the Guiana Space Center with the SES 15 communications satellite.

Soyuz meets multipurpose SES-owned telecom satellite for Thursday launch

May 17, 2017 Stephen Clark

A commercial communications satellite will blast off Thursday from French Guiana on top of a Soyuz rocket, on the way to a station over the Americas to supply bandwidth to airline travelers and broadcasters in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Fourth satellite for Inmarsat’s global broadband network launched by SpaceX

May 16, 2017 Stephen Clark

A Boeing-built satellite on the way to join Inmarsat’s globe-spanning network geared to beam Internet and data transmission capacity to airline passengers, maritime crews and military personnel flew into orbit Monday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard an expendable Falcon 9 rocket.

Video: Press site view of Falcon 9’s Monday evening takeoff

May 16, 2017 Stephen Clark

Check out a replay of Monday evening’s launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this video recorded from the Launch Complex 39 Press Site around three miles from the pad.

Watch a replay of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch with Inmarsat 5 F4

May 16, 2017 Stephen Clark

Miss Monday night’s launch from Kennedy Space Center? Watch a replay of the Falcon 9 rocket taking off with the Inmarsat 5 F4 communications satellite, a heavyweight spacecraft designed to link airliners, ships and others on-the-go via broadband.